JOHNSON, Arthur Frederick
| Service Number: | 5596 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 25th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brooklyn, New South Wales, Australia, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Brooklyn, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 24 April 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Vignacourt British Cemetery, Picardie |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5596, 25th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Sep 1916: | Involvement Private, 5596, 25th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Clan McGillivray embarkation_ship_number: A46 public_note: '' | |
| 7 Sep 1916: | Embarked Private, 5596, 25th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Clan McGillivray, Brisbane | |
| 30 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 5596, 25th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, Following the Battle of Passchendaele in October 1917 25 Battalion and Arthur were in the Support Line on Westhoek Ridge when subjected to artillery fire and gas shells on 30 October 1017. Arthur was gassed but his injury due to the gas was described as slight. He was evacuated to England on 10 November 1917 to the 1st Eastern General Military Hospital at Cambridge. He returned to the 25th Battalion when it was resting behind the lines in the north of France on 7 February 1918. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Greg Towner
From my research:
Arthur was born at Brooklyn, NSW, where his father was probably a fisherman. On enlistment Arthur indicated his occupation was as a 'Navvy' which generally referred to a labourer working on road maintenance or construction. This employment probably bought him to the Maclean district where he met Margaret (Maggie) Fraser. After he enlisted on 8 January 1916 Arthur and Maggie were married in Maclean on 14 April 1916. Private Alfred Towell, a butcher from Maclean, was Arthur's best man. I've found no record of any offspring of Alfred and Maggie. After Alfred's death Margaret did remarry but not until 1952 and died in Grafton in 1972.
On 23rd April 1918 Arthur was asleep in a dugout in the support trenches near Ribemont, France, when an artillery shell burst overhead. He was wounded on his back, head and legs. He was evacuated by the 7th Field Ambulance Company to the 20th Casualty Clearing Station probably located back towards Amiens but either died enroute or on arrival. He was buried in Vignacourt British Cemetery which is 14 kilometres NNW of Amiens.